Rating: 
Summary: Excellent reference guide
Review: A BOOK ON C was the main textbook used in a freshman college course I took on the C programming language. As an introduction to C aimed at people who are completely unfamiliar with the language and the programming concepts behind it, this book is not terribly helpful. Some of the examples are a bit obscure, while some details are explained too quickly. However, as a general reference guide for someone who is already familiar with some of the fundamentals of the C programming language, this book is invaluable.I found this book to be quite handy for use in more advanced classes, as well as in programming projects done in a work setting. The layout is very orderly, and it covers virtually all of the topics that the average programmer needs. It doesn't get bogged down with numerous examples that can double the page count in other, more introductory programming books. Instead, authors Al Kelley and Ira Pohl merely give one or two examples and leave it to the reader to pick up the meaning that they were conveying. In just about every case, this works out to the book's advantage. Instead of having to wade through numerous examples to uncover what it was you were looking for, you can get what you need at first glance and then get back to whatever it was you were doing. This is the book's greatest strength as a guide; no one wants to spend a lot of time flipping back and forth between numerous references just to find one item. The clear layout and the straightforward examples save the programmer quite a bit of time. It also has a closing chapter that goes into a short introduction to C++ and Object Oriented Programming. While this is by no means enough to teach anything more than the bare fundaments of OOP, it does serve as a nice introduction to the topic, which would be quite helpful for any programmer looking to go beyond their current level of knowledge. All in all, I highly recommend this book for programmers who are already familiar with some of the fundamental C elements. If you're looking for a reference guide to material you already know, or looking to plug some gaps in your knowledge, then this book should be quite helpful for you. (FYI, this is a list of topics that the book covers: Introductory C Overview, Syntax, Data Types, Flow Control, Functions, Arrays, Pointers, Strings, Bitwise Operations, Enumeration Types, the Preprocessor, Structures/Unions, Lists and Sorting, I/O, the OS, Multiple Processes, OOP. In addition to these, other topics are touched on and developed, such as information on the standard included library header files and comparisons between ANSI C and traditional C. Standard and helpful algorithms for common tasks are also discussed.)
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books on C coding
Review: I own several books on C, including many fast "Teach yourself C in 24h" and "21 days" titles. Kernighan's book is also classic, but it's too condensed, lacks some detailed explanations and is now a bit dated maybe. Still a good referece and the book everybody will tell you about, but if I could have only one C book, I'd keep this one instead. A book on C is still my favorite. This book is very well written, covering the usual topics, probably in the usual order, but most of the time, in a very readable and clear way. If you're a beginner some parts might be too complex for you, but with time, you'll get there. The introduction to Javascript and C++ is a nice extra too. The shocked reviewer who is a beginning programmer has a point, this is not a book for absolute beginners, but if you know the basics of programming, and a little C, you won't want to miss this book, and you surely won't rate it 1 out of 5. :-) Kelley and Pohl do know how to teach, but if you know 0 when you start, you will find it a "bad" book. If you know nothing, don't spend your money unless you know you are dedicated enough to force yourself to read it while searching basic books, or, best option, read a couple of "teach yourself C in 24h "-type books first. This doesn't mean begginers can't use this book. If you know the basics about programming structure and have used other languages before, that is probably enough to be able to use Pohl's book. Very competent title, useful if you know little about C, and still a good reference for experienced coders. Probably one of the top 5 best C books.
Rating: 
Summary: Buying my second copy
Review: I got this originally for an advanced class in C when I had already been programming in it for a few years. I had been using K&R as the bible but K&R is a little too terse for me and I needed some examples. I have been programming in C for 20 years but I have a terrible memory and always need to refer to some part of it for syntax and usage. This book is just right for me. It is so useful I keep it with me all the time. It got so dog-eared I threw it out and bought a second.
Rating: 
Summary: This book is totaly up to who you are
Review: Somebody complained that this book doesn't talk about windows programming. Windows programming is not too much to do with language itself (C/C++), it's more about the compilers (Borland C++ Builder , Visual c++...). This book which was written by college math professors focuses on the language itself, and the best way to do that is using a text based environment (DOS, UNIX compilers). Yes, it is dry and a little too much math oriented, and lack of deep, clear explanation in some important, confusing parts. And, it is not a easy, how to, tutorial book. I am not sure if this book will make you a good, practical C programmer any time soon, but you will have OK understanding on C though (if you survive after those exercises). If you are a true beginner and need a easy-to-follow tutorial book, "Teach yourself C in 21 days" is not too bad to start with. If you know a little bit of C programming ("Teach yourself C in 21 days" will get you there), I have some recommandations for you : *Pointers on C (the best)
*The C programming language (!!!!!!!!!!!)
*The Standard C Library (must have)
*The C Puzzle Book
*C Traps and Pitfalls
*Expert C Programming
Conclusion : Buy 3 books (if you are kind of new to C but serious),
1. A Book on C
2. Teach yourself C in 21 days
3. Pointers on C
compare them, and return 2 books.
I know that you will keep #3
Rating:
Summary: FANTASTIC!
Review: Well, after reading Teach Yourself C in 24 hours and not learning much from the overly useless examples and plain explanations, I decided to a buy another C book to get a more advanced education on the C language. I looked through the reviews of the C books, and decided on this one... Best choice I ever made. This book is truly fantastic. Explanations of new concepts and ideas are given lots of detail and thought, programs are explained well with the helpful dissection technique, the order of the chapters is well thought out, etc, etc. I would suggest an easier book on C(Don't get Teach Yourself C in 24 Hours tho), although it isn't required to understand this book because of how well it's written. Overall, this book is incredible, and wouldn't hesitate for a second to recommend it full-heartedly. Althought it isn't perfect (Typos and lack of full examples are the only two problems I can think of) this book comes the closest I've ever seen. It even introduces C++ and Java at the end, a very nice touch.
Rating:
Summary: Buying my second copy
Review: I got this originally for an advanced class in C when I had already been programming in it for a few years. I had been using K&R as the bible but K&R is a little too terse for me and I needed some examples. I have been programming in C for 20 years but I have a terrible memory and always need to refer to some part of it for syntax and usage. This book is just right for me. It is so useful I keep it with me all the time. It got so dog-eared I threw it out and bought a second.
Rating:
Summary: Good book on C
Review: This is an excellent book to learn C programming if you are already familiar with C. For starters, I suggest that you get C in 21 days and then continue C learning using this book. This book can be difficult
and cause frustration if you don't have C fundamental concepts knowledge.
Rating:
Summary: Makes it as simple as A-B-C
Review: This is a wonderful, concise book on C programming, possibly the best I've encountered. The examples are illustrative with detailed explanations on every piece of the code. I'd suggest it for all level of programming, whether you're just starting or for review.
Rating: 
Summary: A little simple if you know ANY C.
Review: I've always been told just to use K&R to learn C. I thought I needed another book to help out. Unfortunately, this book was a bit too simplistic and did very little to clarify points in K&R that were difficult. If you can program at all, this isn't the book for you.
Rating:
Summary: The best book on C
Review: This book is meant for readers who already know some C programming. For those who are absolute beginners, just find some website that gives an introduction to the C language and then buy this book! That is all you need to start with. When I read through the first few chapters, I got to learn many things that I didn't know when I first learnt C. If you really want to 'understand' C and take your first steps to be a better C programmer, buy this book.
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